The invention relates to housings having interlocking mechanical and electrical couplings for attaching to one another to eliminate the need for external wiring harnesses, and more particularly, to a rear hatch assembly for a vehicle having multiple components joined in an interlocking relationship relative to each other, providing mechanical and electrical connection between the components without requiring an external wiring harness extending between the components.
A vehicle tailgate, or hatch, is a platform for many components and subsystems. The assembly of the various components and subsystems to the vehicle tailgate requires several hundred feet of a vehicle assembly line and numerous workers. The costs associated with line space and labor can be reduced if the various components could be assembled together and inserted into the hatch at one time, or assembled individually into the hatch without requiring external wiring harnesses extending therebetween or additional mechanical fasteners for separate attachment to the tailgate or hatch.
The present invention provides an apparatus for mechanically and electrically joining any combination of various components housed within a rear hatch assembly of a vehicle. The present invention allows the electrical and mechanical connections between the components to be made concurrently in a single assembly or installation step. The present invention includes a first enclosure, defined by at least one wall, and a cover. The wall of the enclosure can be shaped to include a protrusion. The protrusion of the first enclosure can be inserted into a mating aperture of a second enclosure to interlock the two enclosures. Electrical contacts can be positioned on the exterior surface of the protrusion and the interior surface of the aperture so that the first and second enclosures are electrically connected as well as mechanically connected when the protrusion is inserted in the aperture. Alternatively, the electrical connection between the second enclosure and the first enclosure can be embedded within the wall of the cover. The cover of the first enclosure can extend beyond the wall of the first enclosure to provide the electrical connection between the first and second enclosures in this configuration. Alternatively, the first and second enclosures can be mechanically connected during molding by placing a premolded enclosure with a preformed protrusion into a corresponding second mold for forming connected enclosures in a single molding die. The enclosures can be molded together while maintaining distinct chambers for different hatch assembly components. One or more covers can be used to enclose the enclosures formed in this manner. The electrical connections between the enclosures can be embedded in the walls separating the enclosures or within the cover or a combination of the two. For example, the cover can be used to connect or bridge separated contacts within the enclosures or formed on the walls of the enclosures. In another embodiment of the invention, the second enclosure can be molded with the cover. The connection between the first and second enclosure is made when the cover is placed over the first enclosure. A source of electrical power can be provided for operating the various components of the hatch assembly. An electrical control unit can also be provided for controlling the operation of the various components.